Water Resources – Energy Resources – Food Security: The Nexus Approach
SDG 6SDG 7
19 November, 10:00-13:00
Rectorate Hall
Session
The Water, Energy and Food (WEF) Nexus approach has emerged as a means of mitigating the pressure on water resources caused by climate change, population growth, economic development and urbanisation.
The Nexus approach provides a coherent and integrated framework for making management decisions at the intersection of water, energy and food. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) underpinning the Nexus approach are clean water (SDG 6), energy (SDG 7) and food security (SDG 2). The overall objective of the SDGs and the Nexus approach is to alleviate poverty and achieve sustainable economic and environmental outcomes.
The Nexus approach helps to reduce the risks associated with sector-specific SDG actions by analysing trade-offs and creating linkages between the goals. This creates the potential for cascading effects towards achieving the SDGs beyond the food, energy and water sectors. Representing a fundamental shift from a sectoral to a cross-sectoral, integrated approach to socio-economic development, the Nexus approach can be implemented at all levels of governance and at any scale. When implemented correctly, it ensures environmentally sustainable use of vital resources, reduces potential negative impacts and possible conflicts, and maximizes benefits.
The purpose of the session is to identify and assess regional priorities of the CIS countries in strengthening water, energy and food security.
Figures and Facts
On 30 September 2024, the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) successfully held a virtual presentation of the 2024-2025 work plan of the Interregional Technical Platform on Water Scarcity (iRTP-WS) on the topic ‘Integrated water supply solutions: adaptation to climate change and the interconnected dynamics of WEFE.’ This event was an important milestone in FAO's efforts to develop interregional cooperation and innovation in water management, with a focus on addressing complex water-related challenges associated with climate change.
According to data published in July 2022 by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (hereinafter referred to as the FAO), 828 million people, or 9.8% of the world’s population, faced hunger (systemic malnutrition) in 2021 (46 million more compared to 2020, and 150 million more compared to 2019). Even taking into account the recovery of the global economy, about 670 million people (8% of the world’s population) are estimated to still be facing hunger in 2030. The FAO also estimates that the number of people unable to afford a healthy diet increased by 112 million people (to almost 3.1 billion). This is one of the consequences of rising food prices. Conversely, the percentage of Belarusians who cannot afford a healthy diet is one of the lowest in the world (0.2%). In this respect, Belarus is on the same level as Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands. In Poland, this figure is 5 times higher, in Lithuania and Kazakhstan – 6 times higher, in the USA – 7.5 times higher, and in Latvia it is 9 times higher. The prevalence of malnutrition in Belarus remains firmly below 2.5%, on a par with most European countries. However, this indicator is higher in a number of post-Soviet countries: in Armenia, it is 3.5%, in Moldova, 6.7%, and in Georgia, it is 7.6%.
The sanctions standoff is disrupting the world’s established food and logistics chains, which inevitably harms the least protected countries first and foremost. Food shortages affect 57.9% of people in Africa, 40.6% in Latin America and the Caribbean, 24.6% in Asia, 13% in Oceania and 8% in North America and Europe. Vulnerable countries in Africa and other regions have seen fertiliser prices increase by 300%. The fertiliser shortage will negatively affect harvests in the coming years.
“In Belarus, it is impossible to ignore the food security problem. We must be prepared for external challenges,” President of the Republic of Belarus A.G. Lukashenko focused on this during a national conference call on the harvesting campaign on 26 July 2022. “The world food situation is very uncertain... we do not know what will happen tomorrow, and this is the most dangerous thing,” the Belarusian leader emphasized.
Updated forecasts show that water management remains a challenge for the five countries in the Central Asian region, where food production relies on limited water sources (shared by a common watershed). Agriculture accounts for 90% of freshwater use competing with hydropower needs, while population growth and urbanisation are increasing demand for energy and food. Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan are increasingly aware that the future of water, energy and food security depends on cross-sectoral and transboundary solutions.
Since 2016, the Central Asia Nexus Dialogue project has been working to institutionalise the WEF Nexus. The second stage of the project aims to demonstrate the value of the WEF Nexus through demonstration projects, capacity building and identifying funding opportunities.
Discussion Issues
Integrated approach to natural resource management.
Inequalities in the distribution of and access to water, energy and food are exacerbated by the impacts of climate change.
How does water use affect energy production and agriculture?
What are the main challenges in balancing water use for energy, agriculture and household needs?
What strategies can ensure the sustainable use of water to support the energy sector and food production?
What is the role of technology in optimising water use in energy and agriculture?
How can policy and international cooperation support more efficient management of interrelated resources?
What are some good practices in integrating water, energy and food systems?
What risks of water scarcity arise for energy and food production and how can these risks be minimised?
How does the development of renewable energy affect water demand and the sustainability of the food sector?
How can public awareness of the importance of a balanced use of these resources be raised?
Programme
Welcoming Address of the Session Moderators
Anna Kurbatova (Russia)
Associate Professor, Department of Environmental Safety and Product Quality Management, Institute of Environmental Engineering, RUDN University
Raikhan Beisenova (Kazakhstan)
Vice-Rector for Science and International Cooperation, Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation; Full Professor, Department of Management and Engineering in Environmental Protection, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University
The Connection Between Water Quality and Land Cover in the Northern Regions of Kazakhstan
Raikhan Beisenova (Kazakhstan)
Vice-Rector for Science and International Cooperation, Kazakh National University of Water Management and Irrigation; Full Professor, Department of Management and Engineering in Environmental Protection, L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University
Welcoming speech (video)
Tatiana Bokova (Russia)
Deputy Head, Federal Agency for Water Resources of the Russian Federation
Topic of the report
Science and Practice: Modern Methods of Water Resource Management
Andrey Petrov (Uzbekistan)
Deputy Director, Research Institute of Irrigation and Water Problems
Malika Ikramova (Uzbekistan)
Head of the Laboratory for Integrated Use of Water Resources, Research Institute for Irrigation and Water Problems
Topic of the report
Wetlands of Belarus in the Context of Anthropogenic Transformation and Climate Change
Gennady Sushko (Belarus)
Professor, Head of Department at Vitebsk State University named after P.M. Masherov
Topic of the report
Fundamentals of Legislation and Best Practices. The Case of Water Management Complex Development in the Russian Federation
Abil Vezirov (Russia)
Adviser, Federal Agency for Water Resources of the Russian Federation
Topic of the report
The Impact of Climate Change on Water Use. The Case: Water Resources of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Furkat Erkibaev (Uzbekistan),
Full Professor, Head of Laboratory, Laboratory of Water Resources Protection Technologies, Research Institute of Environment and Nature Protection Technologies, Green University
Topic of the report
Perceived Quality of Drinking Water Depending on the Water Supply Source
Askar Nugmanov (Kazakhstan)
L. N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University
Topic of the report
Environmental Assessment of Transboundary Rivers in Northern Kazakhstan
